- Group D action gets underway on Sunday as Yunost Minsk host Oceláři Třinec
- Minsk defeated Lausanne in overtime in their opening game
- Despite registering 45 shots in their first game, Třinec are searching for first points
Action on Game Day 2 continues in the latest Champions Hockey League season, and it begins on Sunday as Yunost Minsk of Belarus host Oceláři Třinec of the Czech Republic, with Minsk sitting second in Group D after their overtime win over Lausanne HC, while Třinec are still searching for their first points of the new campaign.
Minsk come into their second game following a tough opening test, which saw both teams netminders putting in strong performances with no goals in the opening 40 minutes of play. They took a 2-0 lead early in the third period with goals from Vsevolod Kashkar and Denis Tsyganov, but the Swiss Lausanne responded by scoring two of their own to force overtime. Midway through the extra session, Minsk gave the home crowd something to cheer for again as Andrei Antonov scored after a nice fake from Dmitri Zhelnerovsi fooled everyone, leaving the Minsk captain with nothing but net to shoot at. With a strong defensive performance, and an impressive offence in their first game, the hosts will look to repeat that performance against another tough opponent.
It was a game for those who love defence in Oceláři Třinec’s opening game against the Lathi Pelicans, with only one goal which came in the third period for the Pelicans, giving Třinec an opening game defeat. They came against a great performance in net by Tomi Karhunen who stopped all 45 shots he faced, and if the Czech side can repeat their offensive performance in terms how many shots they got on net, they should have more success on Sunday afternoon. They’ll look to forwards like Erik Hrňa and Aron Chmielewski who both registered six shots each in their opening game, while Patrik Bartošák had a strong game in goal with 23 saves despite the loss.